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2. First Blood

On 5th September 1914, the underestimated U-boat was finally
able to show its deadly potential and draw first blood. With the
first life torpedo fired by a submarine in wartime, Kptlt. Otto
Hersing from SM U 21 hit the British light cruiser HMS Pathfinder
(3,000 tons) off the Firth of Forth on a calm, sunlit day. The
cruiser sank within minutes with heavy loss of life. Hersing,
who was to become one of Germany's leading U-boat aces, remained
in command of SM U 21 for 3 years and conducted 21 war patrols,
during which he sank 36 ships, including two battleships and two
cruisers. Considering the continuing strain and stress connected
with the unique position of a U-boat commander, this achievement
must be regarded as outstandingly remarkable.

This striking first appearance of the submarine in war time history was even surpassed on 22nd September 1914, when SM U-9
(Kptlt. Otto Weddigen) sank the three cruisers HMS Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy (12,000 tons each) off the Hook of Holland in 75 mins. 1,460 British sailors died in this world shattering demonstration of the U-boat's terrible capabilities.

"In the periscope, a horrifying scene unfolded... We present in
the conning tower, tried to suppress the terrible impression of
drowning men, fighting for their lives in the wreckage, clinging
on to capsized lifeboats..."

Kptlt. Otto Weddigen (1880 - 1915)

In Germany, SM U-9's success was regarded as an outstanding
heroic deed. The German Emperor awarded the whole crew the Iron
Cross, and SM U-9 was permitted to carry this medal as the boat's
crest on its conning tower: A tradition which still is in effect
with all German submarines ever named U-9. October 1914 proved to
be another fairly unhappy month for the Entente Cordiále, when
on 11th October 1914 SM U 26 sank the Russian cruiser Pallada
(7,900 tons) in the Gulf of Finland and again SM U-9 under
Weddigen managed to sink the light cruiser HMS Hawke (7,000
tons) off Aberdeen. For his continued excellent performance,
Otto Weddigen was awarded the Pour le mérite (or "Blue Max" as
the British called it), the highest German decoration for valour
at that time.

The crew of SM U-9 after the decoration with the Iron Cross
(first row seated third from left - Otto Weddigen)

A very important but also a very unspectacular event took place
on 20th October 1914 just off southern Norway, when SM U 17
(Kptlt. Feldkirchner) sank the British steamer SS Glitra (866
tons) according to prize rules after investigating the cargo of
the vessel and letting the crew leave the ship and board the
lifeboats. This was the first time a submarine sank a merchant
vessel and for the future, merchantmen should become the prime
targets of the submarine.

Another precedence case happened six days later when SM U 24
(Kptlt. Rudolf Schneider) torpedoed the unarmed SS Admiral
Ganteaume (which was towed to port) in the Dover Strait without
warning, the first time a merchant was attacked in such a way.

In November 1914 it became clear that this war would be one of
commerce with the opponents trying to strangle each others
economies to force a surrender. The British had already
installed from the first day of the war a distant blockade of
Germany, a method which had already proven its worth in the
Napoleonic wars and should finally win the war for the Allies.
Realizing the economic dimension of the war, Admiral Hugo von
Pohl, the German High Seas Fleet Chief of Staff, submitted a
memorandum to Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, the German
Chancellor, advocating a counter-blockade of Britain by U-boat
in response to the British blockade: A very wise advice. Put
into effect consistently, this U-boat blockade could have won
the war for Germany.

When the year 1914 came to an end, U-boats had sunk eight
secondary warships and ten merchants (20,000 tons) at the loss
of 5 U-boats.